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How to Find the Keywords Your Competitor's Amazon Product is Advertising For
When launching a new product on Amazon, running a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaign is important. While you can start with an automatic PPC campaign to discover which keywords perform best, that approach can be expensive. A more strategic way to begin is by analyzing the PPC efforts of competitors who have been selling for months or even years. This method allows you to build on their success and save money by targeting keywords that have already proven to be effective.
Reverse Engineering Competitor PPC Strategies
The process starts with a Cerebro search in Helium 10. Just as you would use this tool to find organic keywords, you can also use it to identify keywords where a competitor’s product is appearing in sponsored results. The key column to focus on is "sponsored rank," which shows where a product ranked in the last check for sponsored product ads. These ads appear throughout Amazon search results, marked with a small "sponsored" tag.
By filtering for keywords where a competitor’s product ranks within the top ten sponsored positions, you can see which terms they are actively bidding on. If you narrow the results to only include Sponsored Product ads, you’ll get a precise list of keywords that are being targeted in paid campaigns.
Identifying PPC Strategies Through Keyword Volume
The number of sponsored keywords a competitor is ranking for can reveal insights into their PPC approach. If a competitor appears in search results for hundreds of keywords, they are likely running automatic or broad match campaigns. These strategies cast a wide net, allowing Amazon’s algorithm to determine relevant search terms.
On the other hand, if a competitor’s sponsored keyword list is limited to just 10 or 15 terms, it suggests a more focused approach. This means they are likely using exact match campaigns, bidding only on specific keywords that have already proven profitable. By identifying these high-priority keywords, you can benefit from their testing and allocate your budget more effectively.
Leveraging Suggested PPC Bids
Cerebro also provides a "Suggested PPC Bid" column for keywords where there is sufficient data. This bid range is based on Amazon’s recommendations but enhanced by Helium 10’s AI-driven calculations to provide more precise estimates. Using this information, you can set your bids at a competitive level without overspending.
By analyzing the sponsored keyword data of top competitors, you can refine your PPC campaigns from the start. This approach helps avoid unnecessary spending on low-performing keywords and increases the likelihood of achieving strong results early on. Whether you're launching a new product or optimizing an existing one, this strategy gives you a competitive advantage without the trial-and-error costs.